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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · track · season · content · cabinet · temple · roll · mark

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — a song
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. roll — a cake
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. track — to keep track
  14. roll — a list
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. content — the amount
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a grade
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com